Monday 21 January 2019

Confidence in sewing your own garments

I learnt to sew at collage making dresses, coats, suits and when I left I sewed my own clothes for work.  In my 20's any pattern fitted  and I could whip something up overnight for a party the next day.
Life got busy, children came along and the price of ready made clothing became affordable and in some cases cheaper than buying fabric.  My shaped changed!

Working in a sewing supplies shop I have noticed the trend of older women taking up sewing again to make garments that fit them better and with fabric choices can give them their own sense of style.
If you haven't sewn clothes for yourself in ages how can you guarentee you will be happy with the final product? I found it took patience, time and help from others (or the net) to gain my sewing confidence again.

I have watched several project runways and picked up several interesting tips.  Probably the most important one is to make a sample or practise piece.  This has saved me lots of $$$.

Next month my daugher is getting married.  It will be a relaxed casual affair.  So with the encouragement of Jo Morris (my boss) we set of to buy fabric.  Jo directed me to silk.  I was a little apprehensive as I have only used silk in my quilts and never actually worn it.


I chose this geometric silk fabric from The Fabric Store in Wellington and along with my Style Arc pattern, thought I could whip this dress up in a weekend.   Gemma (my work collegue) advised me to make a sample to test the pattern first.  Oh my gosh - that was so important.  With Gemms's guidance, we had to redesign the bodice to suit my body shape.  The darts were not in the right place so the bodice was remade using princess lines which has a more flattering fit.
Gemma also pointed out the importance of  laying out my pattern to work with the geometric lines so they flowed in the same direction.


The dress will now hang for a week before it is hemmed.  Yay its nearly done.  I am pleased with it and have learnt so much.  I have now unpicked my practise piece made from rayon (similar weight to silk) and will remake it with Princess lines.  This should reinforce the things I have learnt.

So don't be afraid to give it a go.  There are a lot of resourses available to us now than 30 years ago and I am sure you can find someone that can help guide you.

Happy sewing.
Shirls